The Art of Storytelling With Data

We all love stories. From the bedtime stories which lulled us to sleep when we were kids to the narrative of the marketer which lures us to buy things which we sometimes don’t even need, stories well told have always struck the right chords with us.

Today we are in an age when we are creating data at every moment of our life. The calories we lose while running, the posts we share on our Facebook wall, the shoes we buy on an ecommerce portal, even our quality of sleep, are all part of a large narrative. We are creating data through every click of the mouse, every swipe and every button we press. So how does the new age brand make sense of the humongous mound of data that lies at its doorstep?

The key lies in unraveling the stories that are hidden within that data. When data is presented to us in the form of plain numbers, it is not only overwhelming but also is devoid of any history and all inherent biases. Weaving this data into a cohesive story, a story that provides insights to help us understand and serve our audience better, is crucial.

The art of storytelling with data lies in going beyond what happened. When I travel several miles to shop for groceries from a supermarket when there is a supermarket right round the corner of my house, do I come across as plain dumb? Or does the story tell you that I never find parking at the neighborhood store, that I like the Red Velvet cupcake at the coffee shop of the distant supermarket, that I get my car washed meanwhile I shop there and so on. For this to happen, your data has to move outside the different silos, interact, react and find that one common narrative that binds it all. From counting interactions to creating memorable experiences, the success of your story depends on that.

As with all forms of storytelling, the medium through which the story is communicated also plays a crucial role. At times a simple tabular representation of your data can do the job, while at other times you may need something more evolved. Earlier you had to be a genius to crunch and understand all that data at your disposal, today thanks to technology, those barriers have been removed. Interactive and intuitive information dashboards have democratized the consumption of data. Data is no longer the prerogative of the classes but is now accessible and comprehensible to the masses too. A content marketer no longer has to run to her manager each time she wants to run a campaign. Her dashboard is equipped to provide her with all the inputs she needs for it, what works, what does not, when is the best time to go live, etc.

And last but not the least, the art of storytelling with data is incomplete without you. Combining human intelligence with existing sources of data is crucial to get the complete picture. As Frank Zappa once said “The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.” If we want our story to be a success, we have to consider aspects which are not really quantifiable, our emotions and feelings which make us human also make our story a winner!